Turkish Customs and Etiquettes: Görücü and Kız İsteme
Back in the day, mothers with unwed sons would often be on the look out for a good single girl to wed their sons...
(Through Sep 12) Venice VR Expanded 2020 @ Soho House
The Venice International Film Festival’s VR program “Venice VR Expanded 2020” has come to Istanbul
For the first time in its 125 year history, La...
Watch Out: The Cross in the Golden Horn
Minarets and mosque domes, side by side with skyscrapers, dominate today's Istanbul skyline. Roaming the streets of Fatih district, one quickly forgets that for many centuries...
The Woman Married to Mount Nemrut
In late 1881, the Prussian Academy of Sciences in Berlin received a strange letter from the German Consul of Izmir, mentioning some mysterious statues...
Smoke on the Water: Istanbul’s Vapurs
With its long and colourful history, its unique geographical position, its collection of characters, cultures, and creeds, Istanbul has no shortage of laudable attributes....
In Conversation with Justin and Busra of Turkish Tea Time
Let’s be honest, us Yabangees know all too well that the online resources available for learning Turkish are far from enjoyable and rarely interactive....
City Highlights: Sancaklar Cami
A friend of mine from the Czech Republic once told me her feelings while she visited Istanbul one year ago. She said that it...
Barbarossa: A Monument in Passing, But a Legend on the White...
If you have ever strolled through the ferry port of Beşiktaş on the European side of Istanbul, chances are you have walked past a...
Weekend Getaway: Edirne
With the Children’s and Youth holiday coming up on 23 April and warmer weather upon us, many of you may be wondering where to...
Istanbul’s Next Big Concert Venue: Your Apartment
For those who are new to the city or unfamiliar with Turkish artists, Istanbul’s local music scene might seem alluring, if also slightly out...
The A-Z of Turkish Music
Let me say straight away that this is not an encyclopedic or historical article on Turkish music. Rather, these are my observations on the...
The Şakirin Mosque
There are more than 3000 active mosques in Istanbul and, in terms of architectural style, they can generally be categorized as either Byzantine (ancient...
Five Awesome Turkish TV Shows From the 90s
The 90s was a unique period all over the world and the same goes for Turkey. In Turkey, alongside its distinctive music genres and...
I’ll take you to the Pudding Shop: A taste of...
My first introduction to Istanbul came via embellished story, when my father regaled me as a pre-teen with tales of his freewheelin' hippie misadventures traveling...
Sketching Istanbul’s Hans Part 2: Rüstem Paşa Han
Emilie Varlet and Gabrielle Reeves began exploring Istanbul's hans in the summer of 2014, when they first started their sketching adventures in the city. They have...
Gold Day Recipes: Delicious Eats for a Day of Socializing and...
Like every other Turkish kid who grew up in the 90s, I have been to many “gold days” (altın günü) hosted by my mother...
Review: Spoken Word Istanbul @ Arsen Lüpen
Three years ago, Merve Pehlivan, an art and writing enthusiast, decided to create a friendly environment where writers, poets, singers and performers of all...
In Conversation with Swedish Cultural Attaché Suzi Erşahin
As a dweller of Nişantaşı, I am lucky enough to be located in one of the centers of the Istanbul arts and cultural scene....
Arter & Antrepo 5: Architectural Monuments Hosting Contemporary Art in Istanbul
That Istanbul is a force to be reckoned with in the contemporary art world is undeniable. You just need to look at spaces like...
Top 5 Turkish Design Gems
Home of the Design Biennial and a (gradually) increasing number of design and architectural gems, Turkey is finally becoming a name on the design...
Five Essential Turkish Films
Contemporary Turkish cinema often oscillates between bland, commercial movies (that range from broad comedies to over-sugared romances) and magnificent under-performing films that demonstrate the concerns...
Book Review: Mark Wyers’ “Wicked Istanbul”
Fun Fact: There are around 60 state-run brothels in Turkey. This may be surprising given Turkey’s reputation as a conservative, rather religious country. So,...
BLOK art space: Empowering Istanbul’s Contemporary Art Scene
Gallery spaces can too often reflect a highbrow approach to art which can be off-putting to the more casual art enthusiast. This is where BLOK...
Foodie Frolics: Gourmet Adventures in Istanbul with Sally McDonald
The first time I met Sally McDonald of Foodie Frolics I asked her what had brought her to Istanbul. I'm always curious about what...